Ramblings from a bored mother of a sick child...

Gabe is still not feeling well.  He has a bad case of tonsillitis at the moment.  This is following a nasty stomach bug, then RSV, followed by a viral or bacterial infection that began about 9 days ago and is still hurting my sweet boy.  My mom and I were talking yesterday about how sick he has been since the beginning of the new year and I honestly wonder if he has missed more days of school than he has attended this semester!?!  His teacher has been more than understanding and was quick to point out a HUGE positive in his most recent bout of tonsillitis... he told her that his throat hurt!  This IS something to be excited about, even if he is suffering... poor little guy.

This long stretch of illnesses and constant cancellations has made me realize just how busy Gabe stays between school and therapy each day.  Each day after school he has some sort of intense therapy.  We have an in-home ABA team, as well as an in-home Speech Therapist.  (A few weeks ago we took a break from Occupational Therapy and hope to start that back up soon.)  These amazing ladies come to our home to work with Gabe.  I used to drive across town on a daily basis and now I feel so spoiled that I have no drive time currently for all of these therapies!  Alleluia!  

Gabe is such a trooper in enduring school all day and then working very hard all afternoon all week long.  However, the hard work is definitely paying off!  He is flying through goals in both programs (ABA and ST) and everyone is seeing the progress.  Not too long ago, we had a child with no tolerance for hearing the word "no," throwing constant tantrums because he lacked the language to communicate even his most basic wants and needs and wasn't able to follow even basic directions.  My how things have changed!  We still have a LONG road ahead of us, but it's nice to reflect on how well he is doing overall.  I am sure that our good days might still be someone else's "bad" days, but it's all perspective.  

Gabe's biggest strength at the moment is reading.  He is above grade level in reading skills and it's something he enjoys.  Yesterday at the doctor's office, Gabe was flipping through a book that he found interesting while the doctor examined his ears and throat.  He read every word on one of the pages out loud and the doctor looked shocked!  She asked me how old he was and then said her own son was the same age and no where near reading at Gabe's level.  This compliment made me feel good because for once, my son was not years behind his typical peers in something!  I can see where both school and ABA have been HUGE in helping him take off in this area.  I am thankful for a teacher who knows when to adjust goals to allow him to continue to learn and improve his reading skills rather than stick to what's on paper out of convenience. I am also thankful for an awesome in-home team that recognizes how reading skills can directly improve social skills and are always thinking of ways to use his strengths to help build up his weaknesses.  These ladies ROCK!!!

I will now bring this rambling post from a bored mother of a sick child to an end.  Oh wait!  One last thing!  This is big!  The reason I was able to sit down and type anything at all was due to the fact that Gabe is tolerating TV shows!  He sits with his hands clasped over his ears in case there are any sudden "loud" sounds, but he is watching and even enjoying it!  He is smiling and giving the occasional "excited hand flap" (well, when his hands aren't covering his ears).  Hooray!  One small step for Gabe, one GIANT step for mommy's sanity and free time!